Present vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in vehicles are configured to maintain thermal comfort of a vehicle occupant by providing a generally uniform thermal environment of, for example, about 24° C. within a vehicle cabin under all outside environmental conditions. A substantial percentage of the cooling or heating energy from the HVAC system is used to bring the thermal mass within the vehicle cabin to the desired temperature and to overcome the heat transfer from the vehicle cabin to the outside environment.